Zorkaberry-Fate
by Tilith
Summary: Jinx and Kid Flash start to become more after she quit her criminal career. If only her cursed fate would let them have their Happily-Ever-After... Rated T, because seriously, I think I can't write anything else. Flinx, mentions of RobStar, CyBee, Pre-BBRae and others. Spin-off-Prequel-thingy to "Get it over" and related to "Unfaithful" but it can be read alone.
1. Chapter 1: West

_Heeyy dudes and dudettes! Missed me? I know I shouldn't start another story when I've got so many others waiting, but I really had to (Jinx and Wally forced me, I swear!). So here it is, another spin-off-prequel-thingy to my BBRae story **Get it over **which also is related to **Unfaithful**, my CyBee prequel-spin-off-thingy. So enjoy and SMILE!_

_And I still don't own them, 'kay? _

**Chapter 1: West **

Their story started with an end – the end of her career as villainess. She had quit her team of criminals due to the things he said, the facts he made her think about and of course because of the emotions he let her feel. Not that it had been hard to leave them behind… the only one who ever had showed anything close to loyalty had been SeeMore and even he did it only because he had a crush on her. He had just been too cowardly to admit. And Jinx hated coward men.

Kid Flash hadn't been a coward. He had shared every thought that run through his mind instantly with her, if asked for or not. The young speedster had asked her questions she tried to ignore when they crossed her mind and made statements that turned her understanding of the world upside down. He had gone under her skin before she had noticed, and when she finally did, it was already too late to get rid of him without hurting herself. Sometimes she told herself that she just quit the HIVE five because she was no masochist and it had been the least painful path she could choose. On other days a small voice from the back of her mind liked to tease her that she left because she wanted to believe him. That she wanted to believe in a better tomorrow for herself, a better fate.

But anyways, she left. With nothing but the clothes that she wore (which were rather battered and dirty after the nasty slap that elastic bitch had dared to give her and had sent her flying), her wallet (yes, she was a villainess, but that doesn't mean she couldn't keep her wallet with her important papers, her credit card and some money on her) and a red rose from her love interest (or bane of her life, like she liked to state for teasing). It didn't make any difference, she didn't hang on to her belongings in the headquarter, or she wouldn't put them there. Her former teammates were not really trustworthy people and she knew they slipped into her room from time to time to look for valuable things, even if they had to face her wrath afterwards (and she made them pay tenfold their gain, so it didn't occur this often, but still too often for her taste).

As she walked through the dark streets pondering over her unlucky past, her strange present and her uncertain future, she sat down on a bench at a bus stop, asking herself what to do next. Sure, the hero had promised to help her, but he was surely busy now, probably with some world saving duties. She had to start somewhere. First, a place for the night, favorably with a bathtub, but a shower would do too…

"Meow."

The train of her thoughts got interrupted by a cat, which rubbed his furry side onto her legs, apparently searching her attention. With a questioning look she glanced at the reddish fur and the blue eyes of it. It made her think of someone…

"Go away" she shooed, even shot a small curse after it. After avoiding her pink shock wave, the cat continued as if nothing ever had happened.

"What do you want?" she asked partly annoyed by the presence of another being while thinking, though she ever had felt rather connected to those animals than to humans.

The cat seemed to ignore her question and continued nudging her with his slim body.

"You know, I'm not that good of a company to have around… So you better leave" she stated frowning. But the silly creature still got on, even started to purr in the process.

Jinx sighed: "Seriously, what do you think you are doing? I'm no good company, I am bad luck… And for every good thing happening there has to be a bad thing to even it out. You know, the big balance and all that crap… But maybe I don't have to do the bad things to support the balance…"

Unconsciously, she had started petting it while rambling and thinking out loud, even scooped it up and held it to her chest while caressing it.

"It's… just hard to believe that no one will get hurt for my happiness… How can I let people get involved with me when I know exactly that they will be in danger? Look at that silly super – he got tortured because of me, even by me. And still… still he believes in me. I don't know how I can go through this all… I mean, look at me; I'm a confused young woman with nothing but a curse and a purse. I bet if you knew me, you wouldn't be this contently cuddling with me. Sure, maybe you have fleas or illnesses or you're just nice to me because you want me to feed you, but still you are nice without being asked. Just like him. And you barge into my life unasked like him. Hell, you even look like him. You aren't him in cat form, are you?"

The only answer she got was a lick on her cheek that made her smile despite her current confusion.

"You know what? If you two insist so much on it, I'll really give it a try. A life without crime shouldn't be that hard, right? Care to join me, straw cat? I bet you'd like a proper home too" she mumbled. She desperately needed some company right now, and why not a cat that resembled a lot the one she would prefer by her side? Not that she ever would tell anyone, and certainly not Kid Flash himself…

"Fine, then it's settled. But you need a name if you'll stay with me…" she mused, her eyes wandering around as if a good name would jump into her eyes by sheer luck. And then it did. She sat under a sign declaring "West District – Bus to City Center, Jump Bay, New Alley".

A smirk adorned her features as she looked back to her new companion: "From West District to New Alley… West it is then… It's a good name, you know. West is the direction of the sunset, of the beginning night, of the wild and free lands…"

With another glance to check out her surroundings she stood.

"Let's find a place to get some sleep, West."

* * *

It took her some time to find a cat-friendly hotel in the middle of the night, but she succeeded eventually. She rented the room for unknown time, they'd need it until she could find herself a decent job and a proper apartment; she would rely on her reserves for the start. Of course, she earned strange looks the first few days, people knew her all too well in Jump City. Suspicious looks followed her everywhere, as usual, but miraculously she still managed to get hired as a waitress in a gloomy gothic coffee shop called "The Coffin". She even could afford a small, one-room flat in an acceptable neighborhood with her salary, that even West could feel comfortable in. With the cat as her only friend she still was able to steady her live in not more than two weeks.

But she was far from getting used to it. Every time a siren blared through the streets she could feel the urge to run and hide. It got better when she used her remaining savings to repay the damages she had caused during her criminal career and had paid a generous reparation fine to the city from the same source. It didn't matter that she had no more money left after that. It had been stolen or earned by committing crimes anyway, and she thought it was only right to get rid of it. If it could help her with starting her new life, even better.

Though her name was cleared now in the eyes of justice, she still got those scared stares. She wouldn't change her appearance, she had told herself and West, because she liked how she looked, even if she stood out. Sometimes she would wear her hair differently, let it down or put it up in a pony-tale, sometimes she wore slightly different clothes. But in her old getup she felt the most comfortable. And secretly she was afraid that Kid Flash would not recognize her if she'd change too much.

Plus there was always this lingering feeling that all this luck had to attract a lot of bad luck, so she was happy for all the cuts and burns she got from her attempts to cook. If the bad luck happened to her it didn't happen to others.

Worst was surely that she couldn't get rid of the lonely feeling. She hadn't seen the speedster for three weeks now, no sign of him so far. Had it been just a flirt to him? Had she let herself be fooled so easily by some pretty words of a handsome boy? The doubts started to eat her sanity away, even as she showed no such thing to the outside world.

At her work in The Coffin she was the perfect gloomy waitress, already the favorite of the team, while she still wondered how she had managed it. Her co-workers and even her boss kept inviting her for an after-work drink, what she often accepted. They didn't mind if she was brooding in her corner, tossing a snarky remark in their conversation from time to time and sipping on her root beer. Maybe they would have been not as welcoming if they would have known that she was sulking over the constantly-happy teen hero…

But that thought only came to her one afternoon as she was checking in for her shift. Two of her co-workers walked uncharacteristically agitated complaining over some guest in the staff room, when she had finished to change.

"…joking and flirting! Can you imagine?" Estella, a pale, scrawny girl with long, black hair complained.

"He ruins the whole mood in our establishment!" retorted a waiter called Shadow, a boy in her age with the same color complexion and eyeliner in anger.

Jinx scowled: "What's wrong, guys?"

"There is this overly happy, overly flirty guest out there! He sits at the center table since this morning, ate himself through the menu twice and is sending smiles in every direction!" Estella huffed.

Jinx almost burst out into laughter by her co-workers narration – as if a smile was the most improper and insulting thing anyone could do to her – until the description reminded her of a certain hero who hadn't shown up for a while. It couldn't – wouldn't – be him.

"I'll deal with him, leave it to me" she calmed the two others with determination. If it wouldn't be him, she'd just scare away that idiot who went in the wrong coffee shop; she'd surely teach him to anger her co-workers. And if it really was Kid Flash, well, then he would get a piece of her mind. What does he think anyway, getting her to quit crime business, then leave her for weeks and suddenly reappear at her new work place. Who does he think he is?

Estella and Shadow nodded contently, as they saw Jinx leave with that dangerous glint in her eyes. Their coffee shop would soon be rid of the disgusting brightness the unwanted customer had brought in.

* * *

Jinx wasn't really surprised to see a handsome, redheaded teen with bright blue eyes sitting in the described spot – attempting to flirt with a passing waitress – still his presence startled her. She never had seen him in street clothes, without the costume, without the mask. He was an attractive boy, she thought, before she mentally slapped herself for it. Angry with him for being here and making her think such stupidities, she stomped over to him, registering her boss Draco in the darker corner of the shop from the edge of her eyesight rooting with a nod. This would make it a lot easier to throw him out.

Almost hitting rage on her anger scale, she turned his chair around to face him and started to growl: "What the hell are you…" but was immediately stopped by the sight.

From the distance he had looked as always, but now she was close she could not miss the dark circles under his eyes, how tired and worn he looked and how a haunted shadow lay in his usually sparkling eyes. How could the others see him as a treat to the gloominess of the place?

"What happened to you?" she whispered in concern while she sat down on the chair next to him. She ignored the shocked expression of her boss. She'd deal with him later.

"Hey, beautiful. Been a while. I hope you didn't miss old Wally too much" he smiled, showing a glint of his former spark, but far from his true happy smile. Plus she registered he had given her his name without making it suspicious. Clever, but still not answering her question.

"Not enough to make Jess Nixon not wonder what happened to you" she said with a vicious grin.

Another spark made his appearance at the mention of her real name, but at the end of the sentence his face fell. With a determined look she wouldn't have thought him able of he leaned closer.

"Jess, can you make yourself free? There's trouble" he whispered seriously.

She was startled. Was he… asking for her help? After leaving her alone to sort out the mess her life had become after he'd shown up? She was rather tempted to turn him down, but she saw the plead in his eyes – his haunted blue eyes that looked like he hadn't been able to sleep for weeks. Had he slept since he had seen her last time? Had he been hunted and had this been the reason he hadn't contacted her for so long?

He placed his hand over hers and added: "Please?"

It was enough to get her agreement. She nodded: "Just give me a minute."

* * *

In the end it had taken a half of a minute to persuade her boss to cover for her. Family emergency, she had explained and he had let her go. He may be dark, creepy and gloomy, have a stick up where the sun never shines and wear his blond hair with too much gel plastered on his skull, but he always was understanding. And Jinx was grateful for it.

She took Kid Flash – Wally she corrected herself, he was in civilian after all – to her apartment. If he had to talk about the hero business it would be better in a place where no one could listen. No one except West. And West surely was trustworthy. He wouldn't go blab it around…

On their way to her home he had never ceased to look around. If he would be any other person she'd call it paranoiac, but knowing who he was made her worry about their safety as well.

He only relaxed as they had closed the door behind them and she had assured him, that it was intruder-free. To her surprise he eased up so far as crushing her into a hug.

"Thank God you stood safe" he muttered in her hair.

"Okay, Kid Flash, now you're freakin' me out! What happened?" she inquired while trying to free herself from the fierce embrace. Unnecessary to say it was futile, to get free and to get an answer out of the exhausted hero, who desperately seemed to need to hug her.

Eventually she got saved by her roommate.

"Meow" it called and strode around their feet, very similar to when she first met it.

The speedster released her wondering: "You have a cat?"

She got down and picked it up, cradling it comfortably in her arms.

"This is West. West, this is Kid Flash" she introduced.

"You... you named him after me? How did you find out?" he stuttered with a dumbfounded and slightly scared expression.

"What are you talking about?" she scorned.

"My real name – Wally West – how did you…" he started but guessing by her look that she hadn't known his name.

She shook her head with a gentle smile, still petting the purring cat in her arms, as she said: "I didn't know until now. West has his name from a bus station. I guess it's a lucky incident."

"Phew…" he let out a deep breath, "For a second you really scared me. So West, eh? Cool. He even looks like me" he grinned.

But it wasn't a full grin, she could tell. There was something more important than her cat right now.

She pushed West into the redheads' arm and suggested: "Go and sit with West on the couch, I'll get something to drink."

She left a rather confused looking hero to figure out on his own where her couch was, with a comfortably purring cat in his arms.

* * *

The pink haired girl placed a bottle of root beer in front of him on the couch table with the words: "Now spill, Kid Flash."

He gave her a half-hearted grin while West had the decency to leave them.

"It's Wally for you, especially when I'm in civies and it would be a shame to dirty your floor. Root beer can be sticky" he tried to joke.

"Fine, Wally then" she rolled her eyes, "tell me what's going on."

"You ever were in Paris?" he asked with a slight grin.

"Wally, you have two minutes to explain yourself before I'll hex you out of here" she threatened in annoyance. Seriously, why had he to keep confusing her?

Still she kind of regretted her harshness seeing his face fall.

He gave her a look full of fear and desperation, a look she couldn't match with him at all, than he did what he had been told: "The Brotherhood of Evil was chasing and capturing all the Teen Titans and her fellow teen heroes. What they have done to them, I didn't know. But I've been on the run, literally, since the last time I saw you. And when I found your headquarter empty I thought you either joined them or…" his voice broke at the thought of what he had imagined happening to her. He knew her for so little time, but he cared deeply. He couldn't bear to lose her.

Her face softened as relieve flooded through her. He hadn't abandoned her, he hadn't forgotten her. And he seemed to really care. He had been worried for her, something no one had for a very long time. It felt…warm.

"You know, you're really different, Jinx. There aren't a lot of people who could surprise me, but you always do. It really surprised me, that you had left right away" the speedster stated smiling after he had collected himself.

"I go by Jess now" she said coolly, trying to hide her blush behind a nonchalant attitude.

"Jess. Sounds nice to me" he smiled. And for the first time it seemed like a real smile, making all that haunted him disappear for a few seconds and sending her heartbeat up through the roof.

"What are you going to do?" she asked faking indifference. She couldn't fight his flirtatious comments so maybe he would stop if she ignored them. Maybe…but a treacherous part of herself hoped that he wouldn't.

As his features became serious again she regretted asking, still he answered: "I tried contacting the Justice League, some of us were or are still close to some of them, but they got their own big trouble right now. At least they could tell me where to look for the Brotherhood, near Paris, and after sneaking in I discovered that those who got captured are just shock frozen. So I can reverse it, but I'll need backup."

"And I am your only option?" she huffed.

"No, you're the only one I trust enough to ask for help" he declared earnestly.

Her mouth fell open and she gave him a baffled stare. "You… trust me? You said you didn't know if I joined them or was captured so why-"

"I figured after our last meeting you joining them was very unlikely and didn't see you there when I was spying around. And since I consider you at least as a friend there is no reason for me to not trust you."

He had looked her into her eyes the whole time, he meant it. He was desperately hoping she believed his honest words, because he meant every single one.

And his message was received. No one ever had trusted her this much, especially when she had done nothing to deserve it. She owed him for this.

After collecting herself she gave him one of her signature cat-like grins and inquired: "So what should I wear for Paris?"


	2. Chapter 2: New friends

_Hey dudes and dudettes! Hope you'll enjoy and SMILE!_

**Chapter 2 New friends**

"Dudes, check it out: brain freeze!" Beast Boy chuckled merrily.

At his words Jinx wasn't the only one to groan in frustration. When would the changeling ever learn some good puns? They just had won a fight against the Brotherhood of Evil, who almost had extinct the Titans. He had been one of the few escaping them, still he couldn't come up with something better?

So lowly no one could hear her she mumbled: "He can't be serious…"

But apparently she was heard by someone through the crowd.

"Jinx? Why are you…?" Robin, the Boy Wonder gasped as he saw her.

"Keep your tights on, she's with me" Wally already barged in and laid a protective arm around her.

"W-when did you change sides?" the masked teen wondered.

"Man, she already came with the speedster and fought among us. Didn't you see?" Cyborg, the last one she expected to, argued in her favor.

"I checked her mind, she's clean, Robin" even Raven, the girl she used to fight fiercely, stated in her monotone.

"Come on dude! You surely have seen how she helped taking out Madam Rouge!" Beast Boy added as he joined the crowd.

The traffic-light clad boy looked at her with eyes big as suppers and stuttered: "Well, uhm… I guess… welcome to the team then?"

For a moment she just glared at her former foe, then she grinned her cat-like grin and nodded. It felt kind of good to be so easily accepted, she never would have thought they just would take her in like that. It felt rather nice. Until Starfire started to give out thank-you-for-the-help-hugs to everyone… Jinx could have sworn a few of her ribs broke.

* * *

Just a few hours later she sat for the second time in her life in the common room of the T-Tower in Jump City, but this time she had kind of been invited to it. She had to admit they had made some improvements since her last visit.

"Hey, I don't think we got introduced yet" the boy with his head on fire approached her and let the fire go out, revealing a dark skinned, defined face, "I'm Hot Spot."

"The name's Jinx" she answered as they shook hands.

"How did you come to know the Titans?" he inquired friendly.

"Well, let's say it was work related…" she smirked and started to tell him how she had been on the other side for a while and hadn't been exactly friendly with them.

Hot Spot laughed at her tales about fighting the original team as Kid Flash interrupted.

"Hot Spot, wasn't it? I think Argent is looking for you" the speedster said pointing over his shoulder. Jinx thought she could distinguish a dark, dangerous glint in the boy's blue eyes.

The fire-tamer ran a hand through his hair and smirked: "Argent, eh? I knew she has the hots for me…"

Kid Flash chuckled as he watched him leave, then turned back towards the bad-luck-sorceress.

"I didn't hear anyone call for the guy…" she stated with a quirked eyebrow and crossed arms.

"Um…" he still was searching for a good explanation that wouldn't make him look like a jealous douche bag, when he got saved by the alarm. Some lame villain named Doctor Light was robbing a bank. Bad timing, obviously…

* * *

It hadn't been long to take the villain down and soon they all were back in the tower again. Robin reluctantly agreed to a victory-celebration, because, Beast Boy had argued, they all deserved a little party after defeating so many enemies in one day. Even Raven had insisted on it, to everyone's surprise.

While Kid Flash was constantly hurrying from one place to another so he wouldn't miss any food or happening, Jinx contently leaned onto the kitchen counter, sipping on her root beer from time to time and casually talked to Cyborg. She never would have thought she could fit in so easily anywhere, but if you took the Titans together they were a rather weird bunch…

After the half-metal teen finished telling her about the whole Brother Blood incident he had been through in Steel City, he gave her a quizzical side-glance.

"Why him?" Cyborg finally asked what had run through his mind since she had appeared in the middle of the fight. Jinx immediately knew who he was talking about. She had kept following Kid Flash with her eyes during the conversation, if she liked to admit it or not, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the other, she knew.

With a thoughtful look she replied: "Because he was sincere. He never lied to me. He never betrayed me. And as far as I can judge, he never will. Still he could make me feel important and precious. He believed in me. And he demonstrated his feelings against all that stood between us. He wasn't afraid to show his care for me even if he was a hero and I a villainess. He…"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Many reasons to let him be with you and not… somebody else. I'm… I guess I'm glad for you" the bionic boy sighed.

"Come on, Stone, don't play all heartbroken, we both know that you have your eyes on somebody else…" she taunted.

"Who told you about Sarah?" he exclaimed in surprise and blushed furiously.

"You. Right now. You see, I have my own methods to collect information…" she smirked.

Cyborgs' signature booming laughter mingled into the party sound blaring from the boxes, and he gave her a playful shove.

Immediately Kid Flash was at her side, glaring at the taller teen and asked: "You okay, Jinx?"

"Everything's fine, Kid. Cyborg and I gave up dating each other a long time ago" she smugly stated in a calm tone.

"You-you used to date?" he stuttered.

"Yeah, had an undercover mission at the HIVE-Academy some time ago, and somehow we ended up dating. It ended as soon as I blew my cover" Cyborg shrugged indifferently, then he noticed the daggers the speedster threw at him through his eyes and he bid his goodbye.

"You dated him?" Kid Flash now turned towards her.

"Yeah, so what? I heard you dated some chick called Wondergirl, so where is the problem?" she inquired.

"You-him-I-" he stuttered in loss of words.

"Wally, if you keep chasing away everyone who talks to me I can't get acquainted with anyone!" she chastised lowly.

"Why can't you get acquainted to other people than those hormone-driven males, Jess?" he growled.

"Quit the jealousy-course, you're one of these hormone-driven males yourself" she smirked, satisfied with the blush she caused with her statement.

"I… You… you know it's not like that…" he muttered but got interrupted by another person.

"J-Witch" a dark female voice called out.

"B-Bitch" Jinx replied in the same cool tone.

She and Bumblebee approached each other and exchanged some strange secret handshake that left Kid Flash staring.

"Long time not seen, B" Jinx said with a lopsided grin.

"You could say that. How's it going?" Bumblebee smirked.

"Wowowow, wait, you know each other?" Kid Flash gasped.

The girls exchanged a smug glance before the winged teen laid her arm around Jinx' shoulders and said cockily: "Sure thing. The cutie and I were roommates for ages during the HIVE-Academy. I was there undercover, to spy and so on. You see, Jinxy fraternized subconsciously with the good side long time before you came along, Flashy…"

The speedsters' mouth fell agape and he couldn't find a reply to that explanation. That already made two other heroes who were friends with Jinx before he came along… She kept surprising him no matter what.

"So watcha think 'bout a little catching-up, girl?" Bumblebee asked the pink-haired sorceress.

"Sure. I think he needs some time to think anyway" Jinx nodded grinning.

* * *

"So he was all 'you follow my orders, this is my mission' and I was like 'yo, don't sweat it, man, there's no man alive who can tell me what to do'!"

They both sat in the corner of the couch, laughing out loud about Bumblebee's tale of her first mission together with Cyborg, as Starfire flew over to them.

"Friends, do you wish to try my homemade Tamaran food? I have Zorkaberries and Bwar-nack, the pudding of celebration!" the alien girl smiled widely. In one hand she held a plate with some blue slime, adorned with yellow tentacles, in the other hand she had a jar with squishy, pink-purple berries. None of both options seemed very tempting, but they couldn't shatter the redheads' hopeful joy.

After exchanging a glance, the two girls each took a Zorkaberry and popped it into their mouths just to be met with the most disgusting mixture of bitter and sweet they ever tasted. Shivers ran down their spines and their faces crunched as they swallowed.

At Starfire's expecting gaze they faked a smile.

"Th-thanks, that was… very different" Bumblebee wheezed.

Jinx opened her mouth to reply as well, but just a few coughs escaped her paling lips as her whole body started to tremble and cold sweat broke out all over her skin.

"Woa, Jinx, you don't look fine!" the dark skinned girl stated worriedly just as the coughing got worse. "Starfire, get help! I think she has an allergic reaction to your food" she shot.

The alien immediately dropped everything and brought Raven to them faster than you could bat an eyelash.

"What happened?" the empath inquired calmly while she got on her knees and her white glowing hands hovered over Jinx' throat until she could breathe more steadily.

"She tried a Zorkaberry, but I guess she didn't take it that well" Bumblebee explained.

The two sorceresses made eye contact, a silent exchange between the magical beings occurred and Ravens' lips sealed into a thin line.

"I'll take her to the infirmary for a few minutes. Don't worry, it soon will be over" she stated from under her hood and in an instant they both were gone in a black vortex.

* * *

"This wasn't a simple allergic reaction" she deadpanned.

Jinx sat on one of the beds lowered her head and kept silent. Raven, who stood in front of her, had healed her primary side effects from the consummation of a Zorkaberry, but now she knew the truth. And considering how long they were on the same side and for how long they had fought each other, this thought not really calmed her.

"Since when have you been cursed?" the empath demanded.

Jinx sighed, obliging to her fate: "Since day one. That's why good was never an option…"

"Well, nothing bad happened to us since you joined, except if you count the incident with Doctor Light or your trying out of a Zorkaberry, so if this is the worst that will happen, I think we can handle it" Raven countered with a ghost of a smile on her face.

"You won't tell anyone?" the bad-luck witch whispered pleadingly.

"No, that's up to you. But you should know better than consume what caused your curse from now on…" the half-demoness suggested evenly.

"I didn't know until today that the curse was caused by a Zorkaberry, I just knew I was cursed. Good to know, though" Jinx explained in a casual tone.

"I guess I should teach Starfire to stop force-feed everyone with her cooking and her Tamaran specialties…" Raven mused with a smirk.

"You know, maybe you should let her befriend some criminals; if her hugs won't kill them, her food surely will" the pink haired witch snorted. They both chuckled in agreement until a noise interrupted the moment.

Right then, they heard loud crashing from the hallway and the voice of the fastest boy alive panicky shouting around.

"How could you let her eat some dangerous alien nutrition? If your princess has poisoned her, I swear she'll have to answer me! Not everybody can take those foreign foods without harm, she should know better… "

He busted into the room, Robin and Bumblebee with worried frowns in tow.

"Jinx! Are you okay? Nothing hurt?" Kid Flash checked on her like a mother hen.

"I'm fine. Just an allergic reaction. Nothing Raven couldn't handle" Jinx snarled in fake-annoyance and calmed him down with it. Sure, it was nice how he cared and her heart beat sky-rocketed as he touched her to make sure she was okay. But he needed her bad attitude to be assured he hadn't to panic, so she had to provide it.

In the meantime Raven had exchanged a look with her leader and after a short nod, she said: "Kid Flash, she's fine. But I think Robin wants to apologize properly, so why don't you follow me and Bumblebee to the roof to cool off a bit?"

Bumblebee got the hint, flanked the aggravated speedster with the empath and together they managed to maneuver him out of the room.

Of course not without him shouting over his shoulder: "If you try anything fishy with her, bird-brain, you're dead meat! You hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your cool, Flashy. The J-Witch is a big girl; she knows how to defend herself…" Bumblebee soothed.

* * *

As the door finally closed behind the three, Robin turned towards her and gave her a calculating look. At least it seemed like it. It always had unnerved her how you couldn't make out the boy's eyes through his mask. It made it much harder to read him, but that was probably on purpose…

"You… you are okay?" the Boy Wonder inquired with slight worry.

"Um, yes…" she replied, unsure how to react to the unexpected concern. In her former team no one had cared for the other if they got sick or injured. And her counterpart in this conversation had long time been a foe…

"Great… um… see, this is a first for me… so please, don't get mad… It's just…um" he stammered around with his hand nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Come on, bird-boy, spit it out already. We know each other long enough and fought each other hard enough, I won't get easily offended by anything you'd say" she smirked. It was fun to mess with the guys on the good side, no doubt about that. They were so caught up in their morals they could easily be caught off guard by a simple girl with an evil mind. Good for them she found out only after she had changed sides.

He took in a deep breath and blurted out while exhaling: "Please, take good care of him."

"What?" she asked startled. This wasn't what she had expected to come.

"Please, take good care of him. I've known Kid Flash for a long time now, he's one of my oldest friends and he hadn't been too well lately until he showed up with you. So, yeah, I guess I'm asking you to look after him. Because to be sincere, I failed to do so. Maybe you're more lucky" the leader of the Titans stated while uncomfortably fidgeting with his uniform and fingers, looking like a little boy asking his mother for forgiveness. Not waiting for an answer he turned and added before he left: "I guess you can join him on the roof…"

Apparently it would take him some more time than his team mates to get used to her.

* * *

For Kid Flash, waiting for something or someone important, waiting was sheer torture. He couldn't help his knotted entrails or his speedy heartbeat when he had to stand still and just wait. When she showed up on the roof she was immediately pulled into a bear hug from the speedster.

"Jinx! You scared me down there! You really are okay? Because one minute you're just fine with Bee on the couch and the next I see you disappear with Raven all pale and gasping and shivering…"

"I told you, I'm fine. Calm down, Wally" she huffed. She was glad it was already dark around them so he couldn't see the treacherous blush on her cheeks.

"Phew, okay" he sighed contently, but still held on to her. This time she would have to wriggle herself out of his embrace, because no one came to interrupt them.

"W-Wally, let go already!" she scoffed as he still didn't move.

"Do I have to?" he whispered into her hair, making her shiver comfortably.

Despite all, she hissed: "Yes, now."

Eventually he parted from her, but only far enough so he could lift her chin up and look into her eyes.

"You really are okay, Jess?" he probed one more time.

"I told you, I am! Why do you care so much?" she frowned, but honestly interested.

For a felt eternity he just studied her face without a sound, then he muttered: "Can't lose my hope when I finally found it, can I?"

The statement caught her off guard and caused her breath to hitch.

"What… what are you talking about?"

He turned away and pushed his hands into the almost invisible pockets of his spandex pants.

"You saved me, you know that?" he said into the darkness.

Why had he to always confuse her? But instead of angrily throwing her curses at him, she let him talk. Apparently he needed it as much as he needed to hug her from time to time.

"Before I met you… I felt empty. No matter how many times one would save the world, it never stood save. No matter how many people you'd help, there were always more who needed help. No matter how fast you'd be, there were always times you were to slow against crime or fate. When I was younger, I never saw the bad side of being a hero. But as I grew, I learned how hopeless the job is. No matter how hard you try, somehow, you always fail, one way or another… Then… there you were. You just needed a little push into the right direction and you would grow and bloom, you would become so much more… The promise you displayed in front of my eyes… It gave me hope. That all wasn't in vain. That there was a reason for all the fights and the pain. That in the end, it all was worth it as long as I could see you grow and become what you were just too afraid to be from the start. And now look at you…"

He turned again to face her astonished features, reached out with one hand and gently caressed her cheek. "…You're so wonderful…" he whispered in awe.

Her eyes welled up in tears. Was this truly how he felt about her? Did he feel so much for little her, so much as she felt for him? She couldn't shatter his hope with the mention of her curse, not now. One day maybe, but she had to protect him. He was so fragile and she could be so strong… As long as these blue eyes would faithfully look at her, she could endure anything.

Not able to keep her emotions any longer to herself, she grabbed the front of his shirt and fiercely kissed him. He gladly joined as he even pulled her closer into his arms. In no time she had no more ground beneath her feet. He had lifted her from the floor in his enthusiasm.

With a shriek she broke their kiss: "Wally, let me down!"

"Never!" he chuckled and captured her lips once more. He could be so cheesy…

_A/N: Don't fret, the details about the mentioned, ominous curse will soon be revealed! Because, of course, the curse will get worse, muahahaha…_


End file.
